The term “Son of Man” in the Bible often refers to Jesus Christ, highlighting both his humanity and his divine authority. It is used to emphasize his role in fulfilling prophecy and his identification with humanity in the context of suffering and redemption.
Scripture
13 I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.
14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.
Meaning of “Son of Man” in Scripture
The term “Son of Man” appears frequently throughout the Bible, serving as a profound designation for Jesus Christ that emphasizes both his humility and his messianic role. This term originates from the Old Testament, where it is notably used in the prophetic visions of Ezekiel (Ezekiel 2:1), symbolizing the human condition and the divine commission bestowed upon humanity. In the New Testament, Jesus adopts this title while predicting his passion, stating, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10), thus underscoring his mission of redemption. The designation encapsulates the duality of his nature—fully human, capable of suffering, yet fully divine, endowed with authority to forgive sins (Mark 2:10) and to judge (John 5:27).
Additionally, the term is reflective of his identification with suffering and the marginalized. In Matthew 8:20, Jesus notes, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head,” which underscores his itinerant existence and solidarity with the downtrodden. This also aligns with Daniel 7:13-14, where the “Son of Man” is depicted as coming with the clouds of heaven, receiving an everlasting kingdom from the Ancient of Days. This messianic vision highlights both his authority and his ultimate triumph over suffering and evil, revealing that in his identity as the “Son of Man,” Jesus embodies the hope of resurrection and restoration for all humanity. Thus, “Son of Man” encapsulates a rich theological interplay of humanity, suffering, servanthood, and divine kingship, making it a central theme in understanding Jesus’ mission and the redemptive arc of the biblical narrative.
The “Son of Man” motif carries significant theological implications beyond its initial appearances, representing a bridge between the divine and human experiences throughout scripture. In the context of the Gospels, Jesus often employs this term not merely to refer to himself in a descriptive sense but to unveil the profound mystery of his mission and the fulfillment of prophetic expectations. This title reveals the depth of God’s engagement with humanity, as it transcends mere identification with human frailty; it also suggests a greater purpose in God’s salvific plan. By linking his identity to this title, Jesus invites his followers to consider the radical nature of the Kingdom of God, one that is inherently accessible and transformative for those who are oppressed, marginalized, or lost.
Moreover, the use of “Son of Man” in various teachings and parables often emphasizes a dual call to both humility and expectation. For instance, in the context of the Last Judgment, the “Son of Man” is depicted as the one who will return in glory to judge the nations, a theme echoed in multiple teachings throughout the New Testament. This eschatological dimension reinforces the belief that Christ’s humanity does not diminish his authority; instead, it enhances the understanding that the divine is intimately involved in human history, guiding its course toward an ultimate divine resolution. The term, therefore, encapsulates not just Jesus’ earthly mission but also points toward the hope of future fulfillment, where the “Son of Man” as both a servant and sovereign figure embodies God’s ultimate purpose for redemption, healing, and restoration in a broken world. In essence, the designation of “Son of Man” serves as a powerful reminder of the paradoxical nature of Christ’s identity, intersecting between suffering and glory, humanity and divinity, inviting believers into a fuller understanding of their own discipleship and hope.
Humanity and Identification with Mankind
The term “Son of Man” emphasizes the human experience and condition. It signifies Jesus’ full participation in human life, highlighting his empathy and understanding of human struggles, suffering, and mortality. This title reflects the idea that Jesus, while divine, also shares in the vulnerabilities and challenges faced by humanity, making him relatable to all people.
Messianic Role and Authority
In a broader theological context, “Son of Man” is associated with the messianic role of Jesus. It conveys the authority and power granted to him as the anointed one who fulfills God’s promises. This title suggests a unique relationship with God, indicating that Jesus is not only a teacher or prophet but also the one who has the authority to forgive sins and bring salvation, thus establishing a new covenant between God and humanity.
Eschatological Significance
The phrase “Son of Man” also carries eschatological implications, referring to the future role of Jesus in the final judgment and the establishment of God’s kingdom. It points to the belief that Jesus will return in glory to judge the living and the dead, fulfilling the prophetic visions of a coming ruler who will restore justice and righteousness. This aspect of the title underscores the hope and expectation of divine intervention in human history.
How to Embrace Divine Authority in Your Christian Walk
Embracing divine authority in your Christian walk is about recognizing that God’s sovereignty is not just a theological concept but a transformative reality in your daily life. Start by immersing yourself in Scripture, allowing the Word to shape your understanding of God’s character and His plans for you. Prayer is essential; it’s your lifeline to communicate with God, seeking His guidance and strength to submit to His will. Remember, embracing divine authority means trusting that God knows what’s best for you, even when circumstances seem challenging. Surround yourself with a community of believers who can encourage you and hold you accountable, reminding you of God’s promises and faithfulness. As you surrender your fears and desires to Him, you’ll find a profound peace that comes from knowing you are under His loving authority, leading you to a more fulfilling and purpose-driven life.
Bible References to “Son of Man”:
Matthew 8:20-22: 20 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
21 Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”
22 And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”
Matthew 9:6-8: 6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.”
7 And he rose and went home.
8 When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.
Matthew 12:8-10: 8 For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”
9 He went on from there and entered their synagogue.
10 And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse him.
Matthew 16:13-16: 13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Matthew 17:9-13: 9 And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.”
10 And the disciples asked him, “Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?”
11 He answered, “Elijah does come, and he will restore all things.
12 But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.”
13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.
Matthew 19:28-30: 28 Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.
30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.
Matthew 20:18-19: 18 “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death.
19 and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.”
Matthew 24:27-31: 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.
29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Matthew 25:31-34: 31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.
32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.
34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
Matthew 26:64-66: 64 Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
65 Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy.
66 What is your judgment?” They answered, “He deserves death.”
Mark 2:10-12: 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic—
11 “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.”
12 And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”
Mark 8:31-33: 31 And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again.
32 And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
33 But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
Mark 10:33-34: 33 saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles.
34 And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.”
Mark 13:26-27: 26 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.
27 And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
Mark 14:62-64: 62 And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”
63 And the high priest tore his garments and said, “What further witnesses do we need?
64 You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?” And they all condemned him as deserving death.
Luke 5:24-26: 24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.”
25 And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God.
26 And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.”
Luke 6:5-7: 5 And he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”
6 On another Sabbath, he entered the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was withered.
7 And the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse him.
Luke 9:22-24: 22 saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”
23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.
Luke 12:8-10: 8 “And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God,”
9 but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God.
10 And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
Luke 17:22-25: 22 And he said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.
23 And they will say to you, ‘Look, there!’ or ‘Look, here!’ Do not go out or follow them.
24 For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day.
25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.
Luke 18:31-33: 31 And taking the twelve, he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished.
32 For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon.
33 And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise.”
Luke 21:27-28: 27 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
28 Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
Luke 22:69-71: 69 But from now on the Son of Man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God.”
70 So they all said, “Are you the Son of God, then?” And he said to them, “You say that I am.”
71 Then they said, “What further testimony do we need? We have heard it ourselves from his own lips.”
John 1:51-52: 51 And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
52 And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
John 3:13-15: 13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
John 5:27-29: 27 And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man.
28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice
29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.
John 6:53-58: 53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.
54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.
55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.
56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.
57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.
58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”
John 8:28-30: 28 So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me.
29 And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.
30 As he was saying these things, many believed in him.
John 9:35-38: 35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
36 He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?”
37 Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.”
38 He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.
John 12:23-24: 23 And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
John 13:31-32: 31 When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him.
32 If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once.
Acts 7:55-56: 55 But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
56 And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
Revelation 1:12-13: 12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands,
13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest.
Revelation 14:14-16: 14 Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand.
15 And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.”
16 So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped.
Reverend Ogunlade is a seasoned Church Minister with over three decades of experience in guiding and nurturing congregations. With profound wisdom and a serene approach, Reverend Ogunlade has carried out various pastoral duties, including delivering uplifting sermons, conducting religious ceremonies, and offering sage counsel to individuals seeking spiritual guidance. Their commitment to fostering harmony and righteousness within their community is exemplified through their compassionate nature, making them a beloved and trusted figure among the congregation.